Gabapentin For Dogs: Its Purpose, Negative Impacts, And Dosage Info

Most of you may or may not be familiar with the name of Gabapentine medicine. Recently it is being used by many veterinary experts for treating pain in dogs. Some of these professionals recommend this medicine, especially as a mild sedative, for relieving pain or during managing seizure protocol. If you have recently visited a vet clinic to treat your dog’s pain and they have suggested gabapentin, you can try to research on it before feeding it to your pet.

So, in this article, you can get all the necessary info before considering gabapentin for dogs. Here, you will learn the proper usage of this medicine and how much dosage is needed to relieve certain pains in dogs. Those owners who may be afraid of the side effects of gabapentin on their dogs, they can go through this article to understand the risks involved due to this medicine.

Why Gabapentin For Dogs Came Into Picture And Is It Safe?

As an owner is it quite upsetting for you as well, to see your dog suffering from pain and it’s getting worse day by day. However, veterinary experts have come with this special medicine called the gabapentin, that can cure multiple types of pain in dogs. So, when these professionals came across this effective drug that can address various pains and ailments issues.

The gabapentin is one of the effective medicines that have the ability to treat multiple issues in the dogs with appropriate doses. So, if you have any confusion regarding this pain relief drug, know that it is widely used by veterinarians for multimodal pain management practices and treatments.

In case your dog is suffering from chronic or acute pain, the consumption of gabapentin along with pain relief medicines is recommended. But before feeding your dog these drugs, you must know the proper signs of pains (acute/ chronic). So, first let’s discuss a few major symptoms that indicate the type of pain your dog is feeling. However, you must visit a vet clinic for a proper diagnosis of your pet and analysis the pain.

Symptoms To Identify Your Dog’s Pain Before Feeding Gabapentin

Look for these signs and confirm that it’s time to visit a veterinary expert or give gabapentin to your dog.

Agitation Or Restlessness

Your pet seems to have issues to remain patient and showing signs of restlessness. It may not show the excitement or jump on/off furniture like before, which can be due to musculoskeletal pain.

Too Much Panting Or Resting

As a dog owner, you must monitor the amount of resting and panting your dog does every day. In case, it’s not a harsh weather outside but, your dog refuses to walk, run or do any exercise, it can be a sign of pain.

Resistance To Lie Down

There are clear signs of your dog suffering from either an abdominal pain or musculoskeletal ailment. It is when the dog refuses to lie down properly, which was earlier quite easier for your pet. You might also notice that your dog can’t lower either the front, back or both end comfortably.

Showing Anxiety Or Trembling

Some kind of stress or anxiety disorders can also be a clear symptom to confirm your dog is in pain. So, if you find your pet quivering or shaking unnecessarily, it can be due to pain in internal/external body parts.

Sudden Crying Or Vocalization

If you notice your calm dog making unusual vocalizations all of a sudden and without any reason, it can be the pain. So, try to understand your dog’s cries and any gesture of uneasiness, as it can occur due to severe pain.

Dog’s Tail Pointing Downwards

This is one of the subtle symptoms to recognize that your dog is experiencing pain. Normally, dogs keep their tails upright and it’s a sign that everything is fine with them. However, if you find they are holding their tails downward, it is a clear sign of pain.

Limited Head Or Neck Movement

In case there is a neck or head pain in your dog, he or she will be reluctant to move these parts freely. So, if you observe that your dog is facing difficulty in moving his or her neck and head up/ down or side by side, there is a pain.

Limping Or Avoiding Outdoor Visit

If you find your dog showing any signs of limping, it can happen due to joint pain, bone issues or muscle pain. So, don’t ignore any of these signs and you can check the below info on using gabapentin to reduce pain in dogs.

What Are The Uses Of Gabapentin For Dogs?

As far as its uses are concerned, gabapentin is not exactly a pain medication for dogs. However, it is one of the essential drugs that works well with other painkillers including the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). For those dog parents, who don’t know much regarding these NSAID, it’s mostly used for veterinary doctors to cure pains in dogs. To name a few nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, you can consider carprofen, aspirin, deracoxib, and acetaminophen-based medications.

This medication is useful for reducing chronic pain in dogs, which has persisted for over a duration of six months overall. According to some vet experts, gabapentin can reduce the release amount of excitatory neurotransmitters.

It basically targets the nervous system of your dog and affects the calcium channels to control these neurotransmitters. Further, it helps your pet to feel a lesser amount of pain, which can occur due to any chronic or acute ailment.

Understand The Risks And Side Effects Of Gabapentin For Dogs

Most veterinarians and pet experts suggest that choosing gabapentin for dogs is quite safe. As per doctors, your pet can show signs of mild ataxia and sedation after taking this medicine. However, you must take care of a few precautions before feeding this drug to your dog.

Safety Precautions While Giving Your Dog Gabapentin

If your dog has liver, renal or kidney-related ailments, you must consult a veterinary professional to use gabapentin.

When you have once started feeding your pet this medicine, try not to discontinue abruptly. As it may result in adverse health problems and pain can become critical.

Whatever dosage is suggested by your veterinary expert, you need to reduce the dosage over the course of the medication (usually two or three weeks). So, keep in touch with the doctor before decreasing the dose of gabapentin.

You must also keep a few oral antacids ready, which can help your dog to deal with any side effects due to gabapentin. So, consult your doctor and note down when the medications have to be given to your dog.

As discussed in one of the above sections, a little overdose of gabapentin can be fatal to your dog. However, an inappropriate dose can also result in depression, somnolence, and lethargy.

After going through this article, hope fully you are aware of the benefits of gabapentin for treating dog pain. Therefore, you can visit any reliable source to order these capsules. These are available as 100 mg, 300 mg, and 400 mg capsules. It’s a wise choice for dogs including along with other prescribed medicines.

For treating seizures, you can feed your dog 4.5 – 13.5 mg/lb of his or her body weight. Also, you must repeat this medication every 8 to 12 hours duration. For treating cancer pain, you can give 1.4 mg per lb to your dog only once per day.

Author

Johnson

Hi, fellow readers! My name is Jonathan. I am a 40-year-old pet enthusiast who has been in love with animals for as long as I can remember. While growing up, I had the fortune and luck of having numerous pets in my countryside home. While fun, thrill, and happiness made up the majority of the time with my pets, there was a difficult part too.With my experience in veterinary sciences, I hope my petcare guidelines will be of significant help to you.